SUPPLY LIST:
2 Fat Quarters – one quarter for Outside/one quarter for Lining
Medium weight iron on interfacing (buy it off the bolt for cheap)
Pattern
OPTIONAL:
Item for closure – hook & eye; velco; button & loop; snaps; etc
Light cardboard OR retain the cardboard backing included in pre-packaged Fat Quarters (OR: needle point plastic canvas sheet)
4 brass office brads, or eyelets, etc
· Create pattern from here. I just used regular office copy paper.
· Unfold your Fat Quarters and iron them out. As I often do, ramp up the heated debate in your creative brain about which fabric will receive all the glory of being the Outside of your purse, while the other plays the important (but less seen) supporting role of the Lining. The rest of the instructions will refer to the “Outside” and “Lining” fabric in this way.
· Unfold your iron on interfacing and hack out a rectangle the size of your pattern. Following the instructions of the manufacturer, iron-on apply interfacing to the WRONG SIDE of an upper corner of your Outside fat quarter, leaving plenty of salvage for handle possibilities later. (lacking manufacturers instructions: place shiny side of interfacing face down on wrong side of fabric; beginning in the middle, iron outwards holding iron in place for 10 seconds; lift and move side to side)
· If you have good scissors, you can save a bunch of time by sandwiching your Lining onto the interfacing-applied Outside fabric, iron them nice and flat together, and then pin on the pattern & cut it out. This is only if you have good scissors! Otherwise, the cuts come out all jagged and crap – it makes you suicidal. Ok, it would make me suicidal. If you have shat scissors, then cut the Outside and Lining separately from the same pattern.
· If you are like me and wanted the first try at sewing to be pretty successful – you can sketch the seam lines right on the interfacing with a pencil. The pattern allows for a ¼ inch seam for both the Outside and Lining – so you could eyeball it if you are an experienced sewer (does that say sewer? Like waste water? Yuk.). I used my footie edge as a guide once I got moving.
· At this point, don’t iron any of the creases, you may do that later.
· Ok, take the Outside fabric and fold it together (right sides facing), longer straight edges lined up (the purse mouth). Pin the flappy edges together, and sew as shown. Again, seam allowance is built in at ¼ inch.
· Using a squooshing motion (and sound effect), smash newly sewn edges flat against the bottom opening. This will be referred to as the purse ass end. Pin. Repeat on other side. Sew a straight line, again allowing ¼ inch. Remove pins.
· Repeat the 3 steps above on the Lining piece of fabric – also sewing right sides together. You may wish to make the seam allowance just a touch wider, making the lining just snuggly smaller than the Outside bag. Just increase your seam line by 1 or 2 16ths of an inch. (so – that’s 3/8ths, right?).
· Turn Outside fabric outside in (or the right way). Poke out the corners sharply and check out your handy work. It’s gonna be cute, huh??
· OPTIONAL, BUT RECOMMENDED: A CARDBOARD SUPPORTED BOTTOM. I’d prefer a sugar daddy supported bottom so I could be crafting all the time, but we all have to make due with what we’re given. Either tape together the light cardboard pieces that came packaged with your Fat Quarters, or locate a light weight cardboard that will support the dimensions of about of 4 ½ x 8 inches. I’d recommend sealing the entire cardboard in a wrap of packing or duct tape for waterproof-ness. I have been pack ratting away these lightweight cardboard backings that come with packs of fingerprint cards at work – they fit perfectly! I knew I was packing them away for a good use!
(or substitute: needlepoint plastic canvas)
· Poke holes in each bottom corner (not too close to the edge) through the fabric and cardboard and insert brass office brads (or use a nifty eyelet setter or other wildly imaginative idea you may have). Bend back the tines of the brad.
· OPTIONAL: You can make this purse reversible if you don’t insert the cardboard. You’d want the Outside and Lining to be more the same size. Think about it…..
· Test sizing by shoving Lining (still wrong side out) into your purse carcass. Poke your fingers into the corners and see if it feels like a good fit. You can correct a Lining-too-big problem by yanking it back out and sewing a tiny bit more on each ass end. Remember that you want your lining inside the bag to be shorter at the mouth by a little bit, so eyeball how much you should fold over for the next step:
· Fold over about a ½ inch of the top of the Lining piece and pin down, iron. Fold in about ¼ inch (or more, depending on your opinion) from the Outside fabric to match – pin the Lining around inside the mouth.
· OPTIONAL: Insert beaded trim in between the Outside and Lining before pinning.
· OPTIONAL: Consider if you will have a closure now. If doing a loop & button, pin this in now.
· Decide what you want for handles. You can buy those plastic pre-made handles at Michaels & Joann’s – which are pretty cool too. I have been using the scrap from the Fat Quarters (usually the Lining – so it doesn’t get too envious of the Outside). Using the longest, widest pieces, cut, fold and pin two handles, right sides facing
· Sew each handle the open edge, then zig over and close the tube at one end. Using one of your husbands’ drumsticks, turn the newly sewn handle right side about (in lieu of drumstick, do not use actual chicken or turkey drumstick – use a wooden spoon instead). Repeat. Squeeze out each of the seams and iron them out.
· Place handles in between Outside and Lining where desired. Pin in place. I have found out that placing the handles closser together in the middle will cause it to pucker outward less. The pic here, the handles are a little too far apart, but hey - I was new at it then!
· My machine has this end piece that is removable so I can sew tight, round things. Take that end thingy off now. Also, if possible, slide your machine so that it hangs over the end of the table. This will make turning your cardboard supported bag easier.
· With an exposed stitch, sew once all the around the mouth of the bag, capturing the Outside, Lining and handles all at once…and VOILA!!!
You have a Sha Sha Dream Bag!
· You can decide now to iron the creases/edges if you like a crisp look.
Here are all my neices Christmas presents done already!
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